Fresh off a loss in the Senate yesterday, the United Federation of Teachers is taking its battle against charter school advocates to the airwaves.
The union’s new minute-long radio spot, which will air on 13 local stations starting today, accuses the pro-charter lobby of being “more interested in making money and ducking accountability than fighting for our kids.” The ad is a response to a media blitz from the pro-charter group Education Reform Now, which has been running online, radio and television ads asking voters to “stop listening to the teachers union.”
Both sides are ramping up media efforts as the legislative debate over whether and how to raise the state’s cap on charter schools picks up steam. Yesterday, the State Senate passed a bill that would more than double the number of charter schools allowed in New York, but the legislation faces a much rockier path in the Assembly.
Listen to the radio spot:
The full script of the ad is after the jump:
UFT :60 radio “Over” FINAL RECORDED SCRIPT Listen to what’s happening inside our public schools. SFX: door opens. We hear the sounds of kids in the hallway. It’s busy, chaotic. Class sizes are on the rise. Tutoring and after-school programs are being eliminated. And great teachers are threatened with layoffs. SFX: school bell sounds. Music: Fade up sad, slightly negative track. Our kids don’t get a second chance at a good education. That’s why we should all be working to block cuts to our public schools But for-profit charter school management companies are playing politics in Albany. They’re more interested in making money and ducking accountability than fighting for our kids. And now, the for-profit charter school crowd is spending over a million on false attacks against teachers and public schools. None of it helps our children. Music: Shifts to more positive, upbeat and hopeful track. Our kids need good schools, good teachers and leaders who will stand up for them. Go to UFT.org. Join with parents and teachers. Stop the budget cuts. And stand up for all our public schools. Paid for by the United Federation of Teachers, Michael Mulgrew, President.